Many businesses have coined the term "Open Source" in their corporate communication policy. Setting up and managing a software development project using true Open Source processes and open standards requires an unique expertise in these matters. Ars Aperta uses its experience and proven track record on Open Source software projects inside corporate environments and outside in the Community to test and set relevant criteria to assess Open Source processes.

The choice of a Free Software License is but one step in a software development project. An indepth analysis of man Open Source projects shows that the way a company communicates with its clients, partners and employees on the project as well as the right choice of tools, methods and feedback processes are the key factors of success for the project. As an example, the use of agile development methods, collaborative tools and open standards matched with process transparency and the full tracking of technical events allow for a global assessment of the maturity of an Open Source project.

Ars Aperta has developed a set of certifications for projects and organisations: The Aperta Project Certification 2009 and the Aperta Enterprise Certification 2009.

• These certifications can be obtained after auditing your processes of software development project setup, management and release / deployment. The Aperta Project Certification 2009 provides an indepth assessment of your project by including every inside and outside stakeholder of the project.
• Three main areas are concerned with the certification: Compliance with the Open Source development methods, compliance with the community processes and global quality standards.
• The certification assesses how well the project management is aligned with the project's ecosystem and its goals.

The choice of Open Source and project quality may be expanded to the broader level of the organisation. The Aperta Enterprise Certification 2009 extends the previous certification to the corporate / organisational level if the choice of a sustainable and global Open Source business model has been made.